A Well-Kept Secret
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Hoping to surprise Belle on their first Valentine's day (and because she's had a tough week) Rumple leaves Belle a secret admirer letter asking her out for dinner, but does too good of a job with the "secret" part of secret admirer, leaving Belle in a panic about what to tell him about the note since she doesn't know that it was him all along. One-shot.


Disclaimer: Only plot belongs to me.

Rumple paused in front of the library, sitting down on a bench and chuckling to himself as he took the note out of its red envelope and read it over. He'd decided to surprise Belle with a secret admirer note for their first Valentine 's Day because she'd been having a rough week at the library and it seemed like she needed some cheering up, and his offer to go after the people responsible hadn't gone down well. He quickly did a little magic to the lettering so it wouldn't be immediately obvious that he was the sender (cause that would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?) and then went inside, hoping that Belle was in the back room or at least not at the desk, so he could leave his note for her without being discovered.

But to his dismay, when he walked in the door, the place was bustling and full of life. There was _no way_ he'd be able to get in and out without being noticed. So with a swipe of his hand, he froze the room, hobbled over to the circulation desk as quickly as he could, threw the note down, and then strode away, bringing life back to the room just before leaving.

Since the room had been frozen, no one saw Rumple come or go, but Ruby grabbed the envelope up off the floor and handed it to Belle. "Is this yours?" She asked. She was there on her break reading a page or two, something Granny was more than happy to encourage.

"I don't know," Belle replied with a smile. "Open it and see. It's in a red envelope and Valentine's Day is coming up. Maybe someone has a secret admirer."

Ruby read it over and gave her a smile. "It seems like that someone is you," she said and handed it back to Belle. "Lucky you. I could use a note like that. I think it would add a little excitement to my life."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find someone," Belle replied.

"You think if I choke on something, Doctor Whale will be willing to give me CPR?" Ruby asked.

Belle shrugged. "It seems a bit extreme to me, but you do what you have to do. How's that book you're reading? Good, or should I recommend another one to you?"

"No," Ruby shook her head. "The one you gave me is perfect. Thanks. You think we could try and delve into non-fiction next?"

"Of course," Belle nodded. "Just tell me what you want to learn about and then I'll see what we've got."

"Great," Ruby nodded and went back to her mystery. "Cause I only have a few more pages left of this. I think the butler did it. Or is that just a cliché?"

"Oh, no," Belle shook her head. "Sometimes they do it. I won't tell you for your book though. That wouldn't be any fun."

Ruby went back to her book then and Belle took the letter out of the envelope. She was surprised that anyone would be so bold as to send her a secret valentine, because even though Rumple was making great strides in getting along with people, he still ruffled a few feathers now and again. She paused before opening the envelope. Or maybe this _was_ from Rumple and he was just trying to give her a nice Valentine's surprise. It was just like him to do something so thoughtful. But when she opened the card, she saw that the handwriting on it wasn't Rumple's at all. In fact, it wasn't anyone's that she recognized, which was really unexpected because thanks to the fact that everyone in town had a library card, she knew what people's handwriting looked like. Shaking her head and wondering what in the world she was going to do, she read the note over.

 _Dearest Belle,_

 _It would give me great pleasure if you'd join me for dinner tonight. I'll be waiting at the waterfront with a picnic basket at eight and we can look at the stars. I really hope you'll join me._

The letter wasn't signed and although she hoped it was from Rumple, she really didn't want to take the chance. If she went and it wasn't from him and Rumple saw her out with some innocent person…something bad would happen. She couldn't go through with it. She just couldn't. Even if it meant leaving a poor, lovelorn soul alone and disappointed.

* * *

Despite the fact that she'd made the decision, it still weighed somewhat heavily on her. Over lunch, she left the circulation desk and went to join Rumple at the shop, where he greeted her with a hug, a kiss, and a smile.

"So," he said as he held her at arms' length. "Do you have any plans tonight?"

"No!" Belle said, shaking her head quickly. "I don't have any plans! What would make you think I have plans! And even if I did, they wouldn't be with anyone else besides you, all right?"

"Good," Rumple nodded. "But I don't know why you're so nervous. I thought we were past the point in our relationship where being alone with me was a big risk."

"Oh, no, it's not," Belle said. "It's just…" she opened her mouth to tell him about the note she'd gotten, but then decided against it since it would only cause more trouble and she wasn't gonna do anything about it anyway. Or maybe she'd go for just a few minutes to tell her admirer that while she appreciated the person's attention, she was in a relationship and had no intention of being with anyone else, despite the fact that practically everyone in town thought she should be. "Never mind. It's not a worry. And I should be home for dinner, but I might be a little late."

"Good, that's fine," Rumple nodded. "I have some errands to do before dinner myself."

"Good," Belle smiled. "Then it works for everyone, doesn't it?" She then quickly made herself a sandwich and after eating it said, "I have to get back to the library, but I'll see you tonight, I promise."

"I know," Rumple smiled. "I'm not worried."

She left then and when she was gone, he chuckled to himself. She hadn't figured it out. Wonderful. What a good surprise it would be when she finally met him down by the docks. It would be a Valentine's day to remember, that was for sure.

* * *

As she changed her clothes in the ladies' room, she repeated the speech over and over in her head: "I'm flattered by your attention, secret admirer, but I'm in a relationship and I don't want to be with anyone else right now, so although your letter was sweet and a nice surprise, especially after the week I've had, you and I are not going to be anything to one another." She repeated it a few more times and then took a deep breath before grabbing her purse and leaving the bathroom, making sure the lights were off, and then planning to head to the docks and nip this whole situation in the bud, but unfortunately, that's not what happened. She got distracted and ended up spending more time than she intended to in the new book shop that had opened up a few doors down from Granny's, and the next time she looked at her watch, she saw that it was nearly eight PM. Muttering under her breath, she ran to her car and drove to the docks, not only going over her speech to her admirer again, but also what she would tell Rumple when she invariably arrived home late.

* * *

When she reached the docks, she parked the car and her mind was on autopilot as she rehearsed her two speeches over and over again with her eyes down on the pavement, her shoes illuminated by the street lamps. She was so stuck in her own head that she didn't notice when she bumped into someone. She instinctively said "I'm sorry", and then gasped when the other person said, "That's okay, Belle. I'm just so glad you came. I wasn't sure you'd know it was my note. That's what happens when you want it to be a surprise."

She looked up then and gasped. "Oh, my god, Rumple!" She said and hugged him, giving an excited little jump. "I'm just so glad it was you! You hid it too well and I thought the handwriting was someone else's so I came down here all prepared to let them down gently, but now…" she smiled and kissed him. "Now I don't have to because there _isn't_ anyone else, is there?"

"No," Rumple smiled and handed her the picnic basket so he could take her hand in his free one and they could make their way down to the docks to eat. "Not for me there isn't."

"Me either," Belle smiled as they set the picnic basket down and opened it. She was now realizing how hungry she was now that her mind was freed up from having to break things off with someone who wasn't Rumple.

He watched her eat and then after she paused to breath, he offered her some iced tea.

"Sure," she nodded. "I'd love some. And now…now that I know it's from you, this is a really nice Valentine's day surprise, Rumple. I love it."

He kissed her, took a bite of a sandwich, and poured her some tea. "I'm glad," he said with a smile. "But I don't think I'll do the "Secret Admirer" bit again. It's a bit troublesome, don't you think?"

"Yes," Belle nodded. "If you want to go out with me, all you need to do is ask, and of course I'll say 'Yes'."

"Well, that," Rumple said as he shifted his weight slightly to take her in his arms and kiss her, "is a very good thing to know."

 **The End**


End file.
